R&D activity in INAF on light instrumentation for continuous optical turbulence monitoring
Abstract
Measurements of optical turbulence are essential in both ground-based astronomy and free-space optical communication systems contexts for multiple reasons including supporting and optimizing Adaptive Optics. Similarly, forecasting these parameters is highly valuable for planning observational campaigns; however, it requires at least two years of continuous data to generate a reliable training dataset. The most commonly used instruments to monitor continuously the optical turbulence include DIMM, MASS, SLODAR, RINGSS sensors. The Arcetri team is leading two operational forecast systems for two different Observatories: ALTA above LBT, and FATE above VLT. Both systems are in continuous evolution and obviously forecast performances depend also on available measurements. Our long-term goal is to develop our own instruments to obtain continuous measurements directly from local observations. In this work, we present an automated system designed for continuous seeing measurements using multiple sensors. This portable station integrates a Cyclope, a RINGSS unit, a scintillometer which operate together to provide comprehensive night-time atmospheric information. We will compare the performance of low-cost sensors, such as the Cyclope and the scintillometer, with that of the RINGSS turbulence profiler, which has been fully installed and programmed by our team in collaboration of LBT team. A dedicated insturment for night and day-time measurements is planned for near future. This system incorporates a fully automatic on-site system that monitors operational status, delivers real-time information on sensor conditions and measurements, and manages synchronization with the data storage unit. The system's real-time acquisition capability enables continuous turbulence analysis, supports R&D activities, facilitates local data generation, and allows on-site testing of forecasting methodologies.
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BibTeX
@misc{weinberger2026activity,
title = {{R&D activity in INAF on light instrumentation for continuous optical turbulence monitoring}},
author = {Camilo Weinberger and Elena Masciadri and Luca Carbonaro and Marlene de Sepibus and Fernando Pedichini and Ciro Del Vecchio and Christian Veillet and Sam Ragland},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2610.20143},
eprint = {2610.20143},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.20143},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - R&D activity in INAF on light instrumentation for continuous optical turbulence monitoring
AU - Camilo Weinberger
AU - Elena Masciadri
AU - Luca Carbonaro
AU - Marlene de Sepibus
AU - Fernando Pedichini
AU - Ciro Del Vecchio
AU - Christian Veillet
AU - Sam Ragland
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/14
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2610.20143
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.20143
AB - Measurements of optical turbulence are essential in both ground-based astronomy and free-space optical communication systems contexts for multiple reasons including supporting and optimizing Adaptive Optics. Similarly, forecasting these parameters is highly valuable for planning observational campaigns; however, it requires at least two years of continuous data to generate a reliable training dataset. The most commonly used instruments to monitor continuously the optical turbulence include DIMM, MASS, SLODAR, RINGSS sensors. The Arcetri team is leading two operational forecast systems for two different Observatories: ALTA above LBT, and FATE above VLT. Both systems are in continuous evolution and obviously forecast performances depend also on available measurements. Our long-term goal is to develop our own instruments to obtain continuous measurements directly from local observations. In this work, we present an automated system designed for continuous seeing measurements using multiple sensors. This portable station integrates a Cyclope, a RINGSS unit, a scintillometer which operate together to provide comprehensive night-time atmospheric information. We will compare the performance of low-cost sensors, such as the Cyclope and the scintillometer, with that of the RINGSS turbulence profiler, which has been fully installed and programmed by our team in collaboration of LBT team. A dedicated insturment for night and day-time measurements is planned for near future. This system incorporates a fully automatic on-site system that monitors operational status, delivers real-time information on sensor conditions and measurements, and manages synchronization with the data storage unit. The system's real-time acquisition capability enables continuous turbulence analysis, supports R&D activities, facilitates local data generation, and allows on-site testing of forecasting methodologies.
ER -